


Chocolates Don’t Have To Be Romantic!

by InkWitch (serkestic)



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-12 05:33:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3345395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serkestic/pseuds/InkWitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes he forgot how much he liked Nagisa and he would be reminded by sudden static realizations. Like now. The boy hummed some pop icon single under his breath and walked to the rhythm; a bounce on every third step, a lateral slide on every fifth. His head tilted up as he contemplated the sky, the ever-present grin a soft curve of the lips now. Nagisa in slow motion. Rin liked the view.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chocolates Don’t Have To Be Romantic!

**Author's Note:**

> One day I’m going to write a Free! fic and just name it “A Walk to Remember”; maybe that’ll get ‘romantic walks with RinRin’ out of my system. ...Or maybe I should just give _everyone_ a romantic walk with RinRin. Yeah, that sounds fairer.  
>  If you can distinguish between the romance and the gen, you are a true master. I wrote this for a true master. **Happy birthday and Happy Valentine’s, Poka! ♥**

Rin had a question: when Haru had said, “I’ve got Makoto’s chocolates at home,” why had _all_ of them gone along?

At least Makoto was happy and generous enough to share his Valentine’s chocolate. He was a swell guy, that Makoto. Rin was supremely glad that he’d made Haru get Makoto something for once – Makoto has to clean up after that guy so often, it was about time he got _something_ in compensation. He couldn’t help sending smug looks Haru’s way every now and then. Haru returned these with an unimpressed stare.

“You don’t have to look so pleased with yourself, Rin,” Haru deadpanned, “ _I_ was the one who made the chocolates especially for Makoto’s tastes.”

This stated fact was further punctuated by Makoto’s timely ecstatic moan of pleasure, followed by Nagisa’s and Gou’s harmonized sighs. Even Rei was whispering at the glazed surface of a truffle, “beautiful in looks _and_ taste…” in reverent tones. Rin scowled at Haru’s pointed smirk. He reached out and plucked a caramelized truffle out of the box with great exaggeration and threw it in his mouth in one casual move.

“Whatever,” he snapped. He suppressed his groan of satisfaction with some difficulty – dammit, that guy had some serious skills! – and scowled even harder, “I came up with the idea of giving each other Valentine chocolates, so technically you guys owe all your taste buds’ orgasms to me.”

 “Thank you for suggesting this, Rin, it was a great idea!” Makoto enthused.

“I owe Rin-chan my heart and soul for orchestrating this opportunity to have a religious experience of chocolate,” Nagisa stated soberly. “Also, I’m going to make a shrine in honour of Haru-chan’s cooking.”

“Yes, I must admit, while I was a little apprehensive about the prospect of getting chocolates for friends, as opposed to significant others as is the wont, this has strangely worked out well.”

Rin directed a glare Rei’s way. “Get away from my sister, Speedo Glasses, before I rip you a new one.”

“Onii-chan, stop it,” ordered Gou. She was still holding the heart-shaped chocolate box, Rin was sad to see. “You were the one who picked the valentines, so stop griping.”

He grimaced at the reminder and turned away from the sight of his sister smiling at Rei. And to think he had picked Rei as the safest bet for Gou. He should have taken into consideration the guy’s habit of throwing a curveball into all plans. Even a plan as simple as this.

All Rin had wanted was to celebrate Valentine’s Day with his friends, without it getting weird. He liked the holiday for its cheesiness, for its endless romcom marathons, for the chocolates. Even if he didn’t exactly like chocolate. So he’d come up with a pseudo-Secret-Santa; he assigned each friend a person to get chocolates for and that was that. He took Gou for himself, of course, and then had made Rei Gou’s Valentine. Because how the hell could there possibly be attraction between those two?

His romance radar was clearly lacking.

“I am very satisfied with my valentine,” Rei beamed at the exquisite realistic-looking chocolate glasses, already half-eaten. “Makoto-senpai knows my taste.”

“I like mine too,” said Haru, peering at the bag of chocolate mackerel that Nagisa had given him. He spoke over Nagisa’s subsequent stranglehold on him, “So I guess you can be pleased with it being your idea, Rin.”

“Glad I could please you,” Rin bared his teeth. Then laughed when Makoto sent him a ‘come on, Rin, _behave_ ’ look. “Alright, alright. It’s Valentine’s Day. Rei, I guess I’ll kick your butt some other day. Anyway, don’t you have something to _do_ around here? Or is your idea of entertainment just taking a bath, Haru?”

“Baths can be romantic,” said Haru. Everyone else turned red at his implication.

“S-Shut up! That’s not what I meant and you know it, you jerk!”

“I’ve got some of my favourite romcoms in my pendrive,” Gou piped up. “Some of them are even American ones, Onii-chan!”

“Thanks for letting me know, now I know what to sleep through.”

Gou rolled her eyes. “Right. If everyone is up for it, we can watch one we all pick.”

“I can corroborate that Gou-san’s taste in movies is exemplary,” voiced Rei. Rin leaned over to direct a glare his way when Nagisa jumped up with a comically disappointed expression at the clock.

“Oh, I really gotta get going, Gou-chan, sorry!” he exclaimed. “I promised my parents that I’d get home earlier more often. Sorry, I’ll have to miss the movie.”

“You sure?” Gou frowned. “It’s not even six thirty yet.”

“Yeah, I know, but they’ve been on the line about this stuff for a while. See you guys tomorrow! Bye, Rin-chan,” he added with a small wave.

“Oh wait,” Rin said, stopping him in his hasty retreat – yeesh the guy moved like a bullet, he was already out the door – and growing embarrassed at the quizzical look Nagisa turned on him. “Ah. I’m thinking of heading home too, so I’ll walk with you. To the train station.”

“Sure, Rin-chan!” beamed Nagisa. “But we better hurry; the next train is due in twenty minutes.”

“Coming, coming,” he grumbled, swiftly grabbing his shit and going into Haru’s kitchen when Nagisa was distracted. He pulled open Haru’s fridge door and felt his anxiety poof at the sight of the still-perfect chocolate-covered strawberries. Then jumped at Haru’s, “Very romantic,” behind him.

Rin whirled around, shielding the view of the chocolates before realizing that that was stupid and redundant. He focused instead on looking chill. That was stupid too.

“Whatever,” he cut in as Haru opened his mouth, the amused look on his face very clearly relaying to Rin how pathetic he looked at this point. “It’s not like that Haru, so you can stop that smirking.”

He turned his back on said smirk decisively and took the box of chocolates in the packet he’d kept in his school bag for this purpose. It had a cheerful print of golden ribbons on a pink background. Rin focused on the tacky contrast as he stalked past Haru towards the front door.

“Let’s go then,” he addressed Nagisa, who jumped up from his seat on the floor. They called out goodbyes and received them in turn. Rin stolidly ignored Haru’s, “Good luck, Rin,” and thought that he did a pretty swell job of keeping cool cheeks.

They made their way down the stone staircase. The sky was still light with the sunset’s final pinkish blue tinges; the street lamps hummed on while people headed inside for domestic comforts. Rin was thankful to see no celebratory canoodling teenage couples around.

Sometimes he forgot how much he liked Nagisa and he would be reminded by sudden static realizations. Like now. The boy hummed some pop icon single under his breath and walked to the rhythm; a bounce on every third step, a lateral slide on every fifth. His head tilted up as he contemplated the sky, the ever-present grin a soft curve of the lips now. Nagisa in slow motion. Rin liked the view.

He did nothing to break the comfortable silence around them; that had always been Nagisa’s job. Instead he maintained his pace, calculated in his head how long he could stretch out the moment before the chocolate started melting, and added the occasional double tap to Nagisa’s dance-stroll. He received a pleased beam in return; and firmly told himself the glad constriction of his chest was because he liked making his friends happy.

“Thanks, Rin-chan,”

“Eh?” Rin blinked and then grinned as Nagisa’s words processed. “For what?”

“For today,” Nagisa said, smiling back. It disconcerted Rin to see Nagisa’s genuine smile – smaller and more direct – as it always did. “It’s true everyone freaked out a little when you first suggested it and then panicked the whole week about it, but we all had a lot of fun. It’s nice to get presents.”

“I told you it would be fun,” Rin replied smugly.

“It was one of your better ideas,” Nagisa agreed, laughing at Rin’s responding frown. “It sure gave us all a chance to celebrate together.” He sighed, holding onto the straps of his bag like a little kid. Rin took in his tired posture, more drained than the light step he walked with just minutes before.

“Tough week?” asked Rin sympathetically. Nagisa shrugged, but his fingers tightened.

“Yeah, kinda.” He didn’t go further than that.

Once upon a time, Rin knew his friends like his favourite slingshot. He knew how they worked, how far their potentials could stretch, what limits he could cross with them. What made them laugh, what made them cry. Since their reconnection, Rin prided himself on being able to say that he had preserved his knowledge of them and that it had helped him understand where they all stood now, with the old _and_ the new. He’d relearned his circle, like a forgotten book. He had succeeded, mostly.

He never expected that relearning Nagisa would be the hardest or that he would not have a knack for it. His once-upon-a-kōhai had been an open notebook with a simple cover before. Now Nagisa more resembled a closed book with a loud distracting cover.

Rin had never been one to judge books by their covers though.

“I guess things are different and therefore difficult,” he started. He kept his expression interested but casual, instead of the spluttering heat that wanted to demand, ‘What are you worried about, how can I help?’ Nagisa’s head bowed. “You all have to work harder to adjust to the new year. Haru probably didn’t help,” he added snidely. There was some silence. The sky was a darker velvety blue now, the moon hanging in half-radiance.

“Haru-chan doesn’t really feel that anything is different,” said Nagisa suddenly. “I mean, we all feel that things are not the same; that was there from before Nationals. But… it’s more like Haru-chan’s accepted it and moved on rather than actually feeling that things are… different.”

“He’s better now,” Rin said simply, feeling a surge of gladness and pride in his chest. “He knows what he wants to do. That’s all Haru ever needs.”

Nagisa’s steps slowed, almost imperceptibly.

“Mako-chan too,” he said earnestly, “Mako-chan works hard every day because he knows what he wants. You too, Rin-chan,” and he turned that earnest, crystal gaze on Rin. “You were always the one with the vision and wish. You shared that with us, Rin-chan.”

Rin could feel the same elemental tug that he had first felt when he met Nagisa. Like he had soul-baring powers and was drawing out Rin’s inch by inch. “Nagisa…”

“It’s just that things are different… again,” he continued softly, not hearing, “but they’re different in a _different_ way… Aargh, I can’t explain it! But I don’t like how things _change_ , Rin-chan!” he exclaimed, stopping in his tracks. There was a wild tension in Nagisa’s features, like he was biting back awful things. Rin felt like he had seen this before. “It hasn’t even been that long since you came back, and now we’re all friends again …but things are changing _again_ and I don’t know what to expect…”

“Hey.” Nagisa’s trailing distressed voice halted at Rin’s soft tone. “What do you mean it hasn’t been that long and things are changing? You’re saying that like we’re not gonna be friends after graduation.” When Nagisa shifted in unease, Rin’s voice grew stronger. “I know I’ve been a jerk, but I’m trying now, aren’t I?”

He looked up with a stricken expression. “Rin-chan, I didn’t mean…”

Rin sighed. “Yeah, yeah. I know you didn’t. Sorry. But it comes down to the same point: things are _different_ now, Nagisa, you won’t lose me when we’re in different places; I won’t stop being friends with you. Neither will Makoto or Haru. And if you’re worried, you should say something instead of this evasive bullshit, okay?”

Nagisa managed a peevish look at that but it fell away weakly. They resumed walking, slower, the station nearby now – the moment was stretched and torn, Rin thought. The dark of the sky was kept at bay by the warm golden glow of the street lamps. Their steps matched in quick rhythm.

“You won’t forget us when you’re big and famous, huh?”

“What are you talking about, idiot,” Rin’s laugh came out in a bark. “We’ll always be teammates.”

Teammates.

Yeah. That was true, wasn’t it?

Rin would always remember Nagisa’s stroke, branded into his mind’s eye the way it was. He would never ever forget that pull.

The pull of that gaze. He thanked the night for covering his blush at Nagisa’s full-wattage grin trained on him. That was the only warning he got.

“Nagisa! Let go!”

“I love you, Rin-chan!” Nagisa yelled, “Rin-chan is the greatest friend ever!”

“Nagisa, people are staring! Let go!”

He released him but kept a hold of Rin’s hand. “Rin-chan is the greatest,” he said solemnly. “So great, that I will forgive that Rin-chan forgot my Valentine chocolates.”

Rin gawked and flushed. “Wha – I didn’t forget! I have your chocolate right here!” He dragged out the loud-patterned packet, slightly rumpled; the crowd jostled him a bit as a train approached. It was completely at odds with the quiet scene he’d envisioned. “I was just… trying to find the right moment to give it to you. Of course I got you your chocolate!”

Nagisa gave a gasp of delight that turned into a silent mouth-drop as he brought out the box. The slight sheen to the chocolate glaze indicated that the chocolate was almost near melting temperature. Nagisa stared.

“They’re chocolate-coated strawberries,” Rin explained hurriedly. A train was moving into the station. “They’re fresh strawberries, coated today. Gou helped me choose them and Rei,” he glowered at the reminder, “told me your favourite sweet shop’s address.”

“These are amazing!” Nagisa raised shining eyes to him. “Wow, Rin-chan went all out. I really love them, Rin-chan, thank you!”

 _I guess I owe Rei one_ , Rin thought glumly.

“I guess I owe Rei-chan thanks. Gou-chan deserves a kiss. Do you think Gou-chan will mind?”

“Hey, why do _they_ get all the credit?” Rin complained. “This is _my_ gift!”

“I already thanked Rin-chan,” Nagisa grinned. “Give my thanks to Gou-chan for me.”

He moved fast, Rin will give him that. He only felt the warm press of lips on his own for three seconds, and smelled a waft of bubblegum, before Nagisa was waving goodbye from the train doors. Rin only stared. Then blushed. Then he realized that that was possibly his train too, while the doors slid shut. The blonde hair stayed visible through the glass, and a pinkening neck beneath it, until the train moved on.

Rin shoved his hands in his pockets and turned on his heel to join Gou on her train home with Rei. He didn’t need Haru’s damn good luck after all. 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Rin: I’m not kissing my sister on the lips.

Nagisa: ((((゜д゜;)))) (=ω=;) on the cheek will do!!  (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I lied, there was no romance. I cannot romance.


End file.
